hills, wet grass and GT52XLS traction

I like the GT52XLS for the Kawasaki engine, HydroGear transmission and fabricated deck, but have a wet, hilly lawn. Another area to mow is a rough, uneven area where maintenance over the septic field has been ignored. We want the ground engaging tractor so that we can grade our gravel driveway, carry a full trailer of firewood, and eventually create a 10x20 vegetable garden. Mostly we want the garden tractor to last. Would adding the 50 lb weight kit solve the potential traction problem if we buy the GT52XLS? Some postings recommend adding weight to the wheels, but won't that void the transmission warranty? Husqvarna seems to be the best value for our budget of about 3.5K for the GT and attachments.
Tractors with available locking wheel differential were recommended to us. THey include YT48XLS, but is not rated as ground engaging. Does any one know if it has the Tuff Torq K46 that is inadequate per MANY posts? It does have the Kawasaki engine and fabricated deck. YT 46LS again is not ground engaging and has just a welded tube as reinforcement, so that seems inadequate.
The two garden tractors with locking wheel differential include GT48XLS (fabricated deck) & GT54LS (tubing reinforced deck) but we are trying to avoid B&S Endurance Vtwin. Thanks for any info! Does any one know which Tuff Torq transmission is in these models?
Thanks for any info!

Re: hills, wet grass and GT52XLS traction

sorry for not responding quicker ,but for 2013 Husqvarna is offering the GT48xls with a selectable Locker . So far that's the only one of the GT series that has the locker . It doesn't have the Kaw. engine either ,only the B&S. On the plus side it's got the fab. deck .

Re: hills, wet grass and GT52XLS traction

Selectable locker would be nice, I tear the lawn up taking turns to sharp with the rear locked full time. I think you will be fine going with one of the locking rear Husky mowers, If ou want to use it for more then just cutting grass I would go with the larger models.

Re: hills, wet grass and GT52XLS traction

[ATTACH=CONFIG]312560[/ATTACH

]I forget now which transmission is in mine, i.e. the GTH26V52LS. But it's not the Tuff Torq. I also have to mow a dam bank with a 25 degree slope. Couldn't get traction until I added the two 50# wheel weights. As a bonus, I also filled the back tires 1/2 full of water for good measure.

I bought the wheel weights from Husqvarana direct, and they do list them on their web site. So I would not expect that they'd void your warranty. I had also filled the front tires with water but had to empty them. The extra weight made steering too heavy for my liking. It'd climb the 25 degree banks though, either way, with no problem at all, even with the stock turf tires. They do, of course, come with a bracket to add weights to the front end, should you need the extra weight.

Mine also has the Kawasaki 26 hp engine and the fabricated deck. We're only using it to mow grass (some call it hay) and to pull an 4 x 8 trailer around to pick up wood, but there's no doubt that it has enough power to pull any attachment that they sell.

Re: hills, wet grass and GT52XLS traction

Originally Posted by Gem99ultra

[ATTACH=CONFIG]312560[/ATTACH

]I forget now which transmission is in mine, i.e. the GTH26V52LS. But it's not the Tuff Torq. I also have to mow a dam bank with a 25 degree slope. Couldn't get traction until I added the two 50# wheel weights. As a bonus, I also filled the back tires 1/2 full of water for good measure.

I bought the wheel weights from Husqvarana direct, and they do list them on their web site. So I would not expect that they'd void your warranty. I had also filled the front tires with water but had to empty them. The extra weight made steering too heavy for my liking. It'd climb the 25 degree banks though, either way, with no problem at all, even with the stock turf tires. They do, of course, come with a bracket to add weights to the front end, should you need the extra weight.

Mine also has the Kawasaki 26 hp engine and the fabricated deck. We're only using it to mow grass (some call it hay) and to pull an 4 x 8 trailer around to pick up wood, but there's no doubt that it has enough power to pull any attachment that they sell.

You have the Hydro Gear G730 Heavy Duty High Speed trans. in that unit.

Re: hills, wet grass and GT52XLS traction

You're exactly right chemtech29. I looked up the HydroGear G730 - and it is in fact the transmission that's in my GTH. Just showing my ignorance, but I'd never heard of Hydro Gear before buying this mower. However, apparently they've been around for a long while, and apparently make some quality heavy duty stuff. I see where they are also supplying JD differentials for some of their mowers now.

TorqTuff has been around for a long while too, but there's a LOT of people torqued off with the light duty K46. I also have a K46 in my old Rider 155, and (fingers crossed) haven't had any trouble at all with it. Yet. But after reading about all of the other folks on here that have had unsatisfactory service out of their TT-K46, I made a decision last year when buying and additional mower, that I would NOT buy one with the K46 transmission. I personally see no reason for TorqTuff to not drop the K46 and furnish the K66. No way would the cost be significantly more. It appears to me that they're gouging folks for no reason other than for a few bucks difference in cost. Or is it the mower people that's cutting pennies of cost?

You're exactly right chemtech29. I looked up the HydroGear G730 - and it is in fact the transmission that's in my GTH. Just showing my ignorance, but I'd never heard of Hydro Gear before buying this mower. However, apparently they've been around for a long while, and apparently make some quality heavy duty stuff. I see where they are also supplying JD differentials for some of their mowers now.

TorqTuff has been around for a long while too, but there's a LOT of people torqued off with the light duty K46. I also have a K46 in my old Rider 155, and (fingers crossed) haven't had any trouble at all with it. Yet. But after reading about all of the other folks on here that have had unsatisfactory service out of their TT-K46, I made a decision last year when buying and additional mower, that I would NOT buy one with the K46 transmission. I personally see no reason for TorqTuff to not drop the K46 and furnish the K66. No way would the cost be significantly more. It appears to me that they're gouging folks for no reason other than for a few bucks difference in cost. Or is it the mower people that's cutting pennies of cost?

It's all about the money, isn't it?

The K46 is a good transmission provided it is used for it's engineered purpose which is mowing flat manicured lawns! Far too many people tried to use K46's beyond that capacity and not surprisingly many have failed. Husquavarna is partially to blame for this as they put K46's in a GT classified machine when they should have know better. TT has always maintained that the K46 was a light duty trans. They can't help what tractor their differential gets put in.